That’s Just Life-Are You Sure?

I am constantly amazed at what some Christians allow to come out of their mouths. I recently posted a blog about the power of words in your life (HERE) and presented scriptural backing to show how words have great power to affect your life. So, when I hear a person, who claims to be a Christian, say such things as “That’s just life”, when describing a sickness or calamity that has occurred in their life, I wonder if they have ever read the Bible or even experienced the life changing experience of “being born again”. Do they know what it is to become a “new creation in Christ”?

What does the Bible say about life?

In John 1:4 the Bible says, “In Him(Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend(overcome) it.” Here we see that life comes from God(Father, Son, and Holy Ghost). Apart from God there is no life. (Did you know that in science there is the law of “abio genesis” which says that “life only comes from life”.) So life comes from God. Keep that thought in mind.

In John 10:9b Jesus had this to say about life. “I have come that they(His sheep) may have life and have it more abundantly.” He was contrasting this to what the thief(satan) does. “The thief does not come but to steal, kill and destroy.” So, here we see the two sides presented. One gives life(in abundance) and the other destroys life(steal, kill, destroy).

How to determine what is life and what is death

We know from John 1:4 life comes from God. In Genesis 2:7 we read, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” So the scripture is clear that life’s source is the Creator, Yahweh. In James 1:17 it says this:”Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” I think that it is clear to see that anything that comes from God is good and perfect. For it to be destructive would make God a liar, and that is impossible. (See Titus 1:2 where Paul in his introduction says of God, “in hope of eternal life which God, Who cannot lie,…”) So, everything that comes of God is good.

We know that life and good come from God. Where did death come from? Look in 1 Corinthians 15:21. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” How did man introduce death? In Genesis 2:16-17 we read this:”And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Then we go on to Genesis 3:17ff; “Then to Adam He(God) said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Death did not come from God, it came from man’s listening to the pride engendered by the father of all lies, satan. When God had finished creating He called everything in His creation “Very good!” It was Adam who introduced death by his rebellion against God. Because he hearkened to a lie and chose pride over obedience death came and every bad thing that comes with it.

So, what about it?

Our original theme, “That’s just life”, is quite often cited by Christians to describe all manner of circumstances. One of the pastors at our church in describing his physical maladies that he has experienced since turning 60 years of age use the phrase, “Well, that’s just life.” I almost wanted to jump up out of my seat and say, “NO! That’s not life, that is death!” I held my tongue, so as to be civil. But as I began to listen in the coming days I began to hear more and more leaders in the church beginning to echo the same sentiment. They began to liken family breakups, divorces, all manner of sicknesses, accidents and financial misfortunes as “That’s just life.”

So, what about it? If that is really what life is, then we have nothing to offer this lost and dying world. If that is all that Jesus came to give us, no wonder that we are losing ground everywhere. The gospel of Jesus Christ is “Good News”. It is good news for the whole world. It is such good news that I want to shout it from the house tops and tell everyone I meet about it. But apparently I am in the minority of Christians. I believe the bad things I mentioned above are things that come from the “thief” and they are of death and not of life. For someone to state that, “That’s just life”, is to be ignorant of the Word of God and have no relationship to the Lord of Life Who paid the price that we might have life in Him.

It is time

It is time that we who have experienced life in Jesus begin to stand and share the truth of the word of God which brings life. It is time to begin to realize that grace is not just a nice word but that it is truly the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. It is unimaginable power. It causes us to be more than conquerors not mealy mouth paupers overcome by every test thrown our way. Life in Jesus says that we do not have a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. It is the Spirit that says “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” It is the Spirit that says that “it is no long I, but Christ Who lives in me.”

It is time for us to quit ascribing to our Giver of life, attributes that are from a thief who steals, kills and destroys.

Let us exalt Him as Life. In Him is life, and that life is the light of men.